The economy in this country really took off in the calendar year's final quarter, according to figures released Thursday by Statistics Canada.
The agency puts the improvement in gross domestic product at 0.6% or 2.6% at an annualized rate — and better than economists expected.
Statistics Canada also says GDP grew 1.4% for last year as a whole, building on the 0.9% growth in 2015.
The 2016 gain was skewed towards the first two quarters, according to the nation's number crunchers.
Economists surveyed by Thompson Reuters had expected an annualized growth rate of 2%for the quarter.
Household consumption was the single biggest driver of the GDP growth of 0.6% in the final three months of last year, boosted by stronger spending on financial services and durable goods such as household appliances and vehicles. Investment in residential structures also rebounded.
Business investment declined 2.1% during the quarter, the ninth quarterly contraction in a row.
